Takenori Akagi
Takenori Akagi (赤木 剛憲 Akagi Takenori) is the captain of the Shohoku basketball team and Haruko's older brother. Despite at first not thinking too much of Sakuragi (who addresses him as "Gori" for gorilla due to his immense physical presence), he actually realizes Sakuragi's potential as a basketball player. Serious and disciplined, Akagi's dream is to lead Shohoku to the national championship. His determination is shown in the match against Kainan, where he played on despite a serious injury to his ankle. Akagi considers Uozumi of Ryonan to be his rival, though their rivalry is not antagonistic; indeed, there is respect that borders on friendship. Regarded as the best center in the Kanagawa Prefecture, Akagi plays as a fairly typical center, using his height and power to score close to the basket. He also has a reputation for being a virtually unbeatable defender. Personality Akagi is a strict and a responsible team captain of the Shohoku Basketball team. He implements discipline towards his players especially Sakuragi and sometimes Rukawa, when the two would often fight. As described by Yasuda. he is very serious with the respect of the older years. He appreciates dedicated person and likes cleanliness. He is also a studious person and can have enough time with basketball and academics. Despite being strict, he also keeps reminding Sakuragi his purpose in the court which is rebounding and as a major support for the team. He is also not the type who blame when they lose. This was shown when they lost the match against Kainan, he never blamed Sakuragi for making the bad pass. Above anything else, is his great determination to win, which was shown when he refused to sit down because of his ankle injury against Kainan and continued to play despite hurting. He also never gave up on his dream of bringing Shohoku to the National Championship. Abilities Regarded as the #1 center in the Kanagawa prefecture, Akagi plays as a fairly typical center, using his height and power to score close to the basket. The best known is his "Gorilla Dunk" which came from his nickname, "Gori", given by Sakuragi. He is reputed for being a virtually unbeatable defender under the basket along with his "fly-swatter" block. He is also a strong rebounder and Sakuragi learned under his tutelage. Many players noted that there is no other center like Akagi, a center who usually being the heart of the team and playing at a different level despite being in highschool. Rivals Jun Uozumi They are each others' nemesis, though it's clear Akagi is the better center. Their Rivalry is not antagonistic as they also respect each other. Uozumi is the one who woke his spirit up after being outplayed by Masashi Kawata of Sannoh. Toru Hanagata Hanagata considered him as the strongest opponent he had faced so far. Akagi also got a hard time defending because he is a technical center that can shoot from other areas and is also a strong rebounder. Masashi Kawata Akagi found his match in Masashi as he was outplayed and proved that he is Japan's #1 center indeed. However, with Uozumi's wake up call, he accepted his loss as a center but not Shohoku losing, which enabled him to fight back and bring life to his team once again. Trivia *In the original English Dub of the anime, Akagi's voice resembles Younger Toguro's voice in manga and anime series Yu Yu Hakusho. Category:Shohoku High School basketball team Category:Characters Category:Basketball Players Category:Centers Category:Kanagawa Players Category:High School 3rd Years